Hong Kong, Sep 13 (DPA) Hong Kong firemen rescued a pet parrot and its owner who were perched precariously in a tree, 10 meters above ground, a news report said Sunday.

Twelve firemen and an ambulance crew were called in after the 36-year-old owner got stuck high in a tree while trying to retrieve his parrot, called Birdie, Saturday.

In an hour-long rescue in the city's Ho Man Tin district, a fireman coaxed the terrified owner down from a branch made slippery by rain, the Sunday Morning Post reported.

Birdie proved more elusive, flying from the clutches of a fireman on a hydraulic platform, before being caught on the ground by a second fireman after a struggle in which Birdie bit him, the report said.

The parrot, an African grey bought a year ago from a pet shop in the city for $1,000 , flew into the tree after escaping from a window in his owner's apartment during his daily feeding time.